Coin-freed toy racing game.



Patented May 22, I900.

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com Fnaan TOY RACING GAME.

(Application. filed Hat. 5, 1900.)

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(Application filed Eu. 5, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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d To all whom it 72mg concern.-

PATENT OFFIC mu uhmw CHARLES MIDDLEBROOK,

OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

COIN-'FREED TOY RACING GAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,112, dated May 22, 1900.

Application filed March 5, 1900- Be it known that I, CHARLES MIDDLEBROOK, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 226 Brunswick road, Poplar, London, in the county of Middlesex, England,- have invented new and useful Improvements in Coin-Freed Toy Racing Games, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and improved coin-freed toy racing game, the object of which is to provide in exchange for a coin placed in the apparatus a spectacle of a race between toy animals, men, bicycles, or the like endeavoring to reach a winning goal with as great an uncertainty as exists in an actual race.

In carrying my invention into practice I proceed in or in about the following manner, making reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a sectional side view, Fig. 2 a sectional plan, and Fig. 3 a sectional end view, of the apparatus. Fig. 4 is an enlarged end view of part of the arrangement for giving the uncertain movement to the competitors. Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan of the driving-gear. Fig. 6 is a front view of the coinwheel, and Fig. 7 an isometrical view of the arrangement for alining and releasing the competitors. Fig. Sis an end, and Fig. 9 a side, view of a competitor runner. Fig. 10 is a side view of part of the chain drivinggear. Fig. 11 is an end view of a modification in part of the arrangement for giving the uncertain motion to the competitors.

I provide a race-course a, having therein as many open-ended slots 1), extending from end to end of the course a, as there are to be competitors in the race. This course is preferably made of comparatively-thin material and supported in any suitable manner, as by cross-girders 0, having inverted arches or gaps 61 below the slots b, so as to permit the runners carrying the competitors f to pass freely along. For simplification only two competitors are shown in the drawings. At each end of the course and below it are as many grooved wheels 9 g as there are slots bin the race-course a. These grooved wheels 9 g are loose on their axles 7?; h, which extend across the casing which holds the whole together. Each of the grooved wheels 9' at the end toward which the competitors race eel-a1 No. 7,423. (No 51011.51.)

has piusj at equal distances from one another and outstanding from one of the faces of the wheels. This set of grooved wheels will hereinafter sometimes be called and referred to as the pin-wheels. Running in the grooves of the wheels 9 g" are cords, wires, bands, or equivalents k, to each end of which are attached the competitors f, there being two or more competitors to each cord or equivalent,

each cord and its competitor forming practioally an endless combination. Between the competitors on each cord or equivalent may be weights Z to keep the cords in position when the duplicate competitors are on opposite sides of the grooved wheels.

At each end of the apparatus is a shaft extending across from front to back below the level of the course a. On one of these shafts m are as many sprocket-wheels o as there are grooved wheels g, and these sprocket-wheels are arranged to run between the grooved wheels 9. On the other shaft 01 are the same number of sprocket-wheels 0. The sprocketwheels 0 are all of difierent diameters and rigidly attached to the shaft m, and the sprocket-wheels 0 are all of equal diameter to one another and loose on their shaft n. Around the sprocket-wheels 0 0' are passed chains p, each of which has (along that side of it which will run nearest the pins on the pin-wheels g) a number of upstanding teeth or points q, Fig. 10, arranged at irregular intervals and of such length that as the chains 29 pass around the sprocket-wheels 0 0 the points q will strike the pins j and give intermittent motion-to the grooved wheels g and (through the cords or equivalents is) to the other wheels g, and consequently to the com petitors fon the said cords or equivalents. It is intended that the sides of the teeth q should strike the pins j; but as in some positions the points (instead of the sides) of the teeth q may come against the pins j and impede the motion I provide that the ends of the axles h'- of the pin-wheels 9 shall run in slotted bearings T, which incline somewhat downward from the adjacent end of the apparatus, by which arrangement the axle h and the pin-wheels g will give a little and so permit the points to pass easily. On

the shaft m, carrying the rigidly-attached sprocket-wheels o, is another sprocket-wheel s, over which passes" a comparatively-short chain, carried also. a sprocket-pinion. ton

dle y protruding through-the front part of: the apparatus and provided with a handle 2 for working the race.

e the fron end off-sh ft; m and lose the inside of the front of the apparatusisfasg tened a wheel A, having in its periphery a pocket or recess B, the edge of the wheel'A' being free to revolve as close as possible to the bottom-of the coin-chute 0, one side of which is left open, so that the coin can-escape after the handle 2 has been turned sufficiently to fre.e-" the apparatus- The size of "the pocket Bis such that it will allow a coin of the proper size to free the apparatus to project beyond the periphery of the wheel, as at D,'.while coins of less size will fall completely intthe pocket and not project beyond the periphery of the wheel A. A coin-drawer E is provided to receive the coins thrown out of the pocket B when the apparatus is' freed. In order to retain all the competitors f in a line previous .to the commencement of the racefand to release them for the :raceby the action of the coin,-I make the following provisions: Passing across the apparatus at the line from which the competitors are'to start I provide. a bar F, Fig. 7, having return ends G 'G,'which are pivoted to the front and back of the apparatus by a rod H passed through and attached to them at about the center of the length of the return end G, measured from the bar F, the ends of H protruding through G G and being free to work in bearings provided at the'back and front of the apparatus; One, G, of the return ends is some what" prolonged, and behind this prolonged end I provide a rod J, extending across the apparatus from back to front and free to turn in bearingsK, one at eachend. On the rod Jgis a pawl or projection L, extending so as to be above the prolonged end G. On' the rod H and near the front end thereof is a downwardpointing arm M, which is in contact with a pin N, projecting from the arm O'of the bellcrank lever, pivoted at P and having its other arm Q normally in contact with the periphery of the coin-wheel A, already mentioned. Between the pawl L and the front end of the rod J and attached to the under side of-the rod J is'a strip of flat material R of appreciable width; 1 I

In'assembling the various partstogether I so arrange that when there is no coin at all or no coin of proper size in the pocket B of the wheel A the pawl L is turned up above and free of the topof the prolonged end G of the cross-bar F, thus allowing the bar F to come below the tops of the competitors f and knotting them behind,as at Z one another. The competitors farefmounted ona bar S, Figs .8 and 9, which has-side lugs T to run along the "upper face of' the racecourse. Below the bar S are pins U, which run in the slots 1), and under the pins U are -thelegsV, havingsidelugs W to run on the rims ofthe grooved wheels 9 g.

The ends of the portions of the cords or equivalents k areattachedto'the' runners by passing the ends through holes in the legs V, which are prolonged below the side lugs W, as at Y, and The weights for keepingthecords in adjustment, as above mentioned, maybe of the same construction as the competitor runners, but without-the figures of the competitors. i which'the apparatus is set in motion, is ariranged so as not to operate the apparatus when turned the wrong'way. To insure this, I provide a ratchet-clutch A AiFig. 5, the handle z and the first part'A of 'theclutch l being attached to the spindle 1 Free to slide on the said spindle y is the second part A of the clutch, integral with which is thesprocket- I wheel a), the disk B, and the prolonged part Z G, on which prolonged part. isfree to move longitudinally the washer D of considerable thickness, which is kept incontactwithvthe The handle 2', by

bracket E (carrying the inner end of the spindle y) by a spiral spring F. The prolonged part 0 is not of sufiicient length to touch the bracket E until forced into D by the reverse action of the handle 2 acting on the second part A 'of the clutch. By this arrangement when the handle a is'tiirn'ed the rightway the clutch, spindle, and sprocketwheel X'all go around together. When, however, the handle is turned the wrong'way, the

movement on the spindle of the'parts which are loose thereon prevents any motion'being communicated to the racing parts i I sometimes omit the pins j from the grooved wheels g and put them around adisk G, which is kept against the face of the wheel g by a spring H, acting betweenthe disk G and a collar J 011 the axle h. g

The action of the apparatus is as follows, assuming that all the competitors f have been brought into line by the bar'F being below the heads of the competitors,and consequently also preventing them from starting on the race: A coin of the proper size being dropped down the chute C will pass into the pocket B and protrude therefrom,as already mentioned.

'As the handle 2 is continued to be turned the coin D will come into contact with the arm Q and lift the bar F above the heads of the competitors by the action of the arm 0 "on the'arm M. The continued operation ofthe handle 2 will cause the competitors f to race one another by irregular movements given to them by the actions of the cords, sprocket-wheels, chains, and pin and grooved wheels, and the irregular motion will destroy all certainty as to which competitor or competitors will win.

When the coin has operated the bell-crank lever and released the competitors by raising the bar F, the return end G is held in position by the pawl L and so retained until any one of the competitors strikes the strip R,and which each must do before reaching the bar F. The striking of R having taken place, the pawl is again raised and the bar F allowed to resume its normal position for alining the competitors for the next race, and so on.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a coin-freed race game a course having therein a number of longitudinal and parallel open-ended slots; runners to pass along the said slots; figures of competitors on the said runners; cords or equivalents carrying the 'saidrunners in duplicate and forming therewith an endless combination; grooved wheels to carry cords and runners; axles to carry the grooved wheels loosely thereon; sprocket-wheels rigidly attached to a shaft at the starting end of the apparatus, the said sprocket-wheels being situated between the said grooved wheels; sprocket-wheels loose on a shaft at the goal end of the apparatus; endless chains passing over the said sprocketwheels; upstanding teeth attached at irregular intervals to one side of each of the said chains; pins outstanding from one face of on the axle carrying the rigidly-attached sprocket-wheels a coin-pocket in the periphery of the said wheel; a bell-crank lever operated by contact with a coin passed into and protruding from the coin-pocket; a coinchute to receive the freeing coin; means for alining the competitors at the commencement of the race: means for releasing the competitors by the action of the said bellcrank lever: a handle for operating the ap paratus: a driving sprocket-wheel on the axle carrying the rigidly-attached sprocket-wheel operating the teeth-provided chain: and chain-gearin g for acting on the said sprocketwheel: the whole substantially as described and illustrated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES MIDDLEBROOK.

\Vitnesses:

JosH. D. WATTS, ARTHUR CARRIOK. 

